Drunken Kisses
by jclaire101
Summary: Xize and Jiaqi were what you call siblings. He's the Big bro and she's the Lil bro. But when a drunken incident happens in a supposed to be fun night, what happens when their frienship takes an unexpected turn? Is it friendship over? Or will their friendship turn to love? How can brotherly love turn to romantic love?
1. Brotherly Reunion

We are what people called as siblings. Heck, he calls me lil brother and I call him big brother, though I am older than him by a year. Considering our height difference, well you get why it ended up that way.

I met him in Meteor Garden because he and I are each other's love teams. I played Xiayou and he played Ximen. Amd although we were lovers on screen, we are really great friends off screen.

It was awkward at first, but with the way he treated Yue and I, it's not wonder we clicked immediately. He was funny and annoying at times, but one of his notable charactertistics is that he's a gentleman.

He really took care of us,. He was always concerned whether we were too cold because of the weather or if we were so tired due to filming. Well that's Wu Xize for you. But it's also a no brainer why I started to develop unrequited feelings for him. Feelings I'm still trying to ignore. Feeling that threatened to come out because of what happened a few months after.

Wu Xize is a big brother to me.

Wu Xize is a big brother to me.

Wu Xize is a big brother to me.

I keep repeating it to myself. Because what happened last night wasn't something a big brother would do.

We just finished our photoshoot for Stream. Yue even visited us, well I asked her, one because I just miss the girl so much and two, because I didn't want things to be awkward.

It was a few months after we filmed MG and I haven't seen Xize for a long time. I know we used to hang out whenever we had scenes together before, but our busy schedules created a gap on our closeness along the way. So Yue being there gave me a sense of comfort.

"Nice work today Jiaqi." Xize said. We weren't able to converse a lot awhile ago because of the shoot. We only uttered a simple 'hello' and they already brought us to our own dressing rooms.

"You too Xize." I answered.

He walked towards me.

"How have you been? Haven't seen you in a long time." He said.

"I know. I'm great. How are you?"

"Good as anyone can be." He answered.

"By the way Yue's also here. She went to grab some coffee but she'll be back."

And just in time Yue appeared. "Hey Xize!" She greeted him with a fistbump. He then ruffled her hair. Yue really does get along with all of the F4. It's because of her and Connor that I was able to to get to know them as well.

"Hey there strong Yue. What's up?" He asked Yue.

"I'm good. Just a bit busy nowadays." She replied.

"I know. You're still filming for Another Me?"

"Just finishing up. How about you?"

"I've been here and there. Had a lot of photoshoots lately though. By the way, I'll be hanging out with Li Xize and Dy later. You guys wanna come?" He invited us.

"Sure. I'm free tonight anyway. How about you?" I turned to Yue.

"I'm in. But I'll just be there for a short while. I have an early meeting tomorrow with my management. So I can't stay long." She said.

"Dy's going to be there. It's been a long time since you've seen each other right?" Xize teased while wiggling his eyebrows.

Yue kicked him on his legs. "I know Xize, he already texted me about it. And can you please keep your voice down, others might hear."

I laughed at their banter.

"You really haven't met him for awhile?" I asked feeling sorry for her. It was only us, the F6, who knows about their relationship aside from their respective managers.

She shook her head. "No. We we're both really busy these past few months. But we text and video call all the time so it's alright."

"Well that's great. Though sometimes it can be difficult especially if you're always away from each other." I said to her remembering my failed long distance relationship before.

"I know. But we make it work anyway. So we're good." She said.

"Of course you're good. Dylan's so cheery all the time whenever he receives your texts. It's like he's surrounded by a ray of sunshine all the time." Xize spilled.

"Hey enough of us. Can we take a picture? I'm really happy to see you guys today. And I want to make Didi jealous that I hang out with you guys first." She requested.

"Of course. I really missed this, Yue. We always fooled around before." I said feeling nostalgic.

We took a couple of pictures, she also took a photo of me and Xize together asking us to do a heart sign.

"You guys really look great together." She said, trying to be a matchmaker.

Xize just laughed.

"Yue! We're like brothers, what the hell are you talking about?" I said defensively.

"I'm just saying. Anyway I'll see you guys later. I just need to run some errands." She hugged both of us.

"See you later Yue. Be sure to come!" I reminded her.

"Of course, I won't miss it for the world." Then she went ahead.

Xize then turned to me, "Do you have anything scheduled for the rest of the day?"

"No. After the photoshoot I'm free for the whole day." I informed him.

"Great! Want to grab some lunch? I'm starving." Xize asked me.

"Sure. I'll just tell my manager that I'll be gone for awhile."

"Okay. Take your time. It's your big bro's treat today." He smiled.

"Really? Is this for the bet? Are we going to HuoShaoYun? I asked excited about the food since it has a lot of great reviews.

"Sorry Jiaqi. It's a bit far from here, can we just drop by the cafe near here?"

"Sure. No problem. But you still owe me for that bet." I crossed my arms.

"I won't. I promise I'll take you there next time." He said and smiled.

I nodded and smiled back. When I turned around I clasp my hand on my chest. Damn that Wu Xize. His smile always catches me offguard.

 _ **A/N: Hi loves! I often write short stories about Diyue. But this time I wanted to give the president of Diyue fanclub some lovin'. So I wrote a fanfic about him and Jiaqi. To all the Xijia shippers out there this is also for you. I hope you all like it. Keep it classy!**_

 _ **Shen yue has Wang Hedi**_

 _ **jclaire101 signing off...**_


	2. Violent Foodie

Xize and I went to the nearby cafe. It was actually quite secluded and not many people were around.

After placing our orders, the staff told us that there were also sits available upstairs. We took our coffee with us. We decided to pick a spot where we can people watch while eating together.

"Thank for the treat Xize. Next time we eat out, I'll be the one to pay, well after you treat me to HouShaoYun. " I playfully said to him.

"It's no big deal. I promise I'll take you there. I'll hold you to that treat though. The problem is you're so busy these days. I can't even remember the last time we had a chat." His eyebrows wrinkling, trying hard to remember.

"Me too. Even the last message on our chat group is Didi and Yue's usual memes. I actually missed hanging out with you guys." I told him.

"Why didn't you send a message then?" He asked, his stare intense.

"I..." I swallowed hard. There was actually a reason that I can't actually put into words.

"I actually don't know. It seems right at first, but the longer it took me to send messages to all of you the more awkward it felt. So I didn't know whether to send message or not anymore. I don't know, I just somehow felt embarassed you know? " I tried to explain.

"You could've messaged us anytime Jiaqi. You could've message me. I would have replied." He told me, sounding a bit hurt.

"Well you could've message me too you know. I guess I ended up questioning the bond that all of us formed as time went on. It seems like a dream to me right now. "

"It's probably just a miscommunication. Because with the F3 and Shen Yue it's like nothing has change whenever we meet. You get to choose to maintain that friendship Jiaqi. We're just a text away. But, I also should have checked on you too. Sorry about that." He smiled guiltily.

"I'm sorry too. I guess I should also apologize to the others as well."

"You don't have to. Just message them, it'll be just like before. I know our bond enough to say that." He reassured me.

"Thanks Big bro! I'm glad we got to have this conversation." I fistbumped with him. Yue and I got used to doing that greeting with them during the MG filming days.

"Anytime Jiaqi. And I mean it. Anytime okay? You still got my number?" He looked at me seriously.

"Yup. Still got it." I smiled.

"That's good. Now don't let it rot on your contact list. You can text the number at times or even call it. But I'll probably be the first one to do that, just to annoy the hell out of you." He teased.

I slapped his hand. Then suddenly my stomach grumbled. We looked at each other and laugh once again. Luckily our food has arrived.

The middle-aged woman that served our orders gave us a compliment.

"My, my! You two look great together. What a cute couple."

I was trying to drink some water and I almost spit it out the moment she said those words. I shook my head at the same time that I heard Xize saying to her, "Auntie, you think so?"

I kicked him on the leg, widening my eyes at him. I was blushing hard. The woman might get the wrong idea about us.

I swallowed the water and explained.

"Auntie, we're not a couple. He and I are like brothers."

"Aww, young love. My husband and I used to banter like siblings as well. Until we realize that we actually like being with each other as more than friends. We've been married for 25 years now."

"That's good auntie but we're really not like that." I defended.

"Oh, you don't have to deny it Miss." she said. I blushed even more. Well hello there Tomato Jiaqi.

"That's right Jiaqi, you don't have to deny it." Xize said mischievously.

The woman smiled knowingly. "Well, I'll let you have your privacy now. Enjoy your food." She said.

When the woman walked away, I stomped on his foot.

"Ouch! Why did you have to do that?!"

"You were supposed to tell her the truth. She might get the wrong idea!" I told him.

"Well she was really enjoying our 'romance' besides, it was fun watching you flustered." He chuckled.

"What the fa?! Ay, come here let me punch you let's see who'll be flustered next." I slap him on his arm once again.

"You know, you and Yue should really tone down the violence. You act like guys sometimes." He complained while nursing the arm that I slap.

"Well big brother, if it weren't for your idea of 'fun' you won't be hit in the first place. And we won't be able to tolerate you guys if we don't know how to be violent. " I said finally grabbing a bite of the pasta that I ordered.

"Yeah, yeah keep saying that. If I don't know any better, you actually had butterflies on your stomach when she told us how a cute couple we are." He teased. Again.

So I did the only revenge I could think of. I ate the first spoonful of food he was about to eat.

"I thought you were starving? It seems like you're not interested in your food anymore. Give it to me then, I'll gladly eat it." I was about to grab his plate when he held my wrist.

"Alright, I'll stop. Damn, Jiaqi you're on fire today. You on your period?"

I threw the extra plastic spoon beside me on his direction.

He dodged and laugh. Raising his hand with a peace sign.

"Eat. Big brother." I said, voice filled with menace. Although I was annoyed, I was also secretly overjoyed. Because I missed this I missed our banter. More importantly, I missed him.

We were still talking after we finished eating. We decided to stay longer and talk for awhile.

"There's this restaurant I tried one time in Japan. I just forgot its name. Anyway, they were located underwater and the seafoods were served fresh. I love every minute of it. I didn't notice I ate so much until the plates piled up." I laughed at the memory. We were both foodies so we really enjoy talking about foods.

"You really eat like a guy. I always wondered where you put it. You don't gain any weight at all." He said amused by my appetite.

"Hey it's the genes. I'm actually really grateful that I got it. I won't be able to control my weight otherwise. I love food, food is life. " I said.

He chuckled. "That's what I like about you. You don't care at all. You just eat what you like, and you don't regret it. Whenever we eat together, you really savor every bit of it. Eating with you is a lot more fun." He suddenly said.

I smiled and blushed at his comment.

"That's a nice way of saying I'm a pig." I joked.

"Ay! I didn't say that. I meant that I actually enjoy hanging out with you because we both love food. It's nice to share the same interest with your friends." He clarified.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." I said condescendingly. Friends. Yes Jiaqi. You're friends. Damn it. Get that to your head.

"What you don't believe me? How about this, everytime we're both free even if it's just for a few hours, we eat out. Let's just explore the restaurants here first. Or if we discover a new one, we should message each other about it, take some pictures and share our reviews with each other. Deal?" He offered. He raised his hand for a fistbump.

I mimic him. "I love that! Deal!" That means I get to hangout with him more.


	3. Uninvited Chauffer

We talked for a few more minutes before it was time for him to leave. We walked back towards the parking lot where our managers were waiting.

"So where are we meeting later?" I asked. Remembering that I didn't know about the place yet.

"Don't worry. I'll just pick you up at 8. We can go there together. It's a bar owned by one of my friends. We'll be able to hangout on the VIP section." He said.

"No need. I can manage. Just text me the address. Won't you be busy later?" I said. I don't want to be a burden to him.

"It's not a problem Jiaqi. I'll be passing your apartment on the way. So it's no big deal." He explained.

I fell silent. Oh. So it was just convenient. I felt somehow sad. I shook my head chastising myself. Get a hold of yourself Jiaqi. You're his friend. That's what friends do.

"Are you okay?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be? So I'll see you later?" I smiled at him finally collecting my thoughts.

"See you." He ruffled my hair and I slap his arm. Finally he walked away, leaving a wink my way. I just sighed. Still trying to bottle up the unwanted feelings for him.

I was waiting for Xize's text since I was already done preparing. I decided to just wear a black cashmere dress and placed a white coat on top of it. Nothing can go wrong with black.

I was still thinking about our conversation earlier. It's nice knowing that I can hang out with him occasionally. Especially if it's going for a food trip. I'm so excited just thinking about it.

I was browsing my weibo account when I heard a knock on my door. I wondered if my manager forgot to give me something.

I walked towards the door and opened it. I didn't expect the person behind it. It was definitely not my manager.

Wu Xize actually came up to my apartment. The Ximen of MG 2018, my friend and big brother. Yeah, that Wu Xize. His hands hidden on his pockets. He was wearing a denim jacket on top of his white hoodie and black jeans. Casual but fashionable as always. That's Xize for you.

I was staring at him for a long time that he suddenly cleared his throat and raised one of his eyebrows at me. I took a deep breath to clear my head.

"Xize. How did you know my apartment number?" I asked him. Something about this is weird. We didn't do this before. Well we hangout on our hotel rooms but it was usually on Dylan's or his room.

"I asked Yue about it." He grinned as if he accomplished something great.

"You didn't have to pick me up all the way here. You could have texted me and I would have met you downstairs." I said.

"I know. I got curious about where you live so I look around as well." He said.

I nodded still a bit weirded out about the whole situation.

"Want to come in?" I asked. I mean would it be rude if I didn't ask that? I usually do that with my friends.

He looked at me. As if sensing my uneasiness he answered.

"No. It's okay. So are you ready?" He asked.

"Yeah. Let me just grab my purse." I said. True to his words he didn't follow me but instead waited outside. He really is a gentleman.

"Okay I'm ready!" I told him happily. Getting over the awkward atmosphere awhile ago.

"Well someone's excited. Let's go lil bro!" He said patting my head at the same time.

"Of course. I get to hangout with you guys. Why won't I be?" The excitement on my voice was evident.

When we got to the elevator, a classical music was playing. We were so quiet that when our eyes met we burst out laughing.

"I don't know what's with the elevator and background music. But it makes me laugh everytime." I said in between fits of laughter.

"Me too! I thought I was the only one. It's like when you're riding it with a stranger, it doesn't make it any better. It makes it more awkward." He added.

The door finally opened as it arrived on the ground floor. He led me towards his white BMW, this was actually a gift from the MG production staff. They were really fond of him and his portrayal of Ximen that the sponsors actually gave it to him. DMS car was also given to Dylan, though I doubt he was able to drive it yet.

I used to drive a car too but I sold it since I have no more use to it, my manager drives me around now. I looked at him wondering why he brought his car.

"I thought we'll be driving with your manager?" I asked, curious.

"It's my day off tomorrow anyway so I asked him to go home early. And we're going to a bar, the boys and I might go home a little late." he explained.

He opened the door to the passenger sit. It's my first time to ride on this car as Jiaqi. We shot our scenes here as Ximen and Xiayou.

"After you." He motioned with his hands for me to enter first.

"Thanks!" I said. He even closed the door for me.

He went around and started the car.

"Buckle up!" He reminded me. As I forgot to put my seatbelt on. I was about to grab it when his hands beat me to it. His face was so close to me that I held my breath. My heart was drumming so loud, it's a miracle he didn't hear it.

With a clasp, the seatbelt was locked in place. But I'm afraid my feelings has been opened. Damn him. Damn you Wu Xize. For being so gentleman. For being so naturally caring around girls.

He went back on his seat. I cleared my throat and muttered a weak 'thanks.' He threw a smirk my way.

"I could have done that you know? I'm not a kid." I told him after a while.

"Well you were taking so long." He said. I looked at him annoyed. He just winked at me. Again. The wink. We pulled out of the parking lot and went on our way to the bar.


	4. Reunion vs Realization

We were stuck in traffic, his music was the only noise inside the car.

"You're a bit different today." I finally told him. His actions were confusing the hell out of me.

"Speak for yourself. You were always on a daze ever since our photoshoot this morning. What do you mean by different, anyway?" He responded. Eyes still on the road.

"I was just thinking about something. Anyway, forget I said it." I brushed it off and turned to check my phone.

I caught him glanced sideways at me but went back to look at the road.

"Now you're making me curious. What's different Jiaqi? Are you okay?"

"Nothing Xize. I'm alright. You know what, just forget it." I said. Not liking where are conversation might lead to. I decided to change the topic.

"This car reminds me of our MG filming days." I said touching the dashboard..

He sighed but then answered. I finally relaxed, knowing he won't push me about it.

"Yeah. I know how you feel. I'm just glad I get to keep this car as a memento with it." He said smiling fondly.

"You're lucky you got a remembrance. Well you deserve it anyway. You did a great job protraying the role of Ximen." I said, proud about his work.

He glanced back to me briefly. And smiled happily.

"Thanks Jiaqi. That means a lot. You also did a great job you know. Considering the circumstance of our filming locations, being so cold. You held your own." He said back to me.

I smiled at that. It was difficult because we were usually filming at dawn where the temperature really gets cold. But it was fun at the same time.

"Well we both pushed through with it. I actually felt proud the moment we finished filming the rooftop scene. It was hard but I also kinda missed it." I added.

"Me too. I missed it so much." He remarked but it was as if his words had an underlying meaning to it.

When we arrived at the bar it was 30 minutes pass 8. From the outside you can already see that it's one of those high class bar around in Beijing.

We went straight inside, Xize greeting the staffs casually. It was obvious he has been here a few times. This was more like a club, on the ground floor was a dance floor. EDM was blasting from the invisible speakers, controlled in the hands of a female DJ. We went to the stairs leading to the VIP room.

The VIP section was a bit subdued compared to the ground floor. There were music blasting but not as loud as downstairs. A bar was placed on the far right side,and leather couches filled the area. There was also an area where you can play billiards. Yue, Dylan and a third guy who must be Li Xize were already there when we got inside.

"What's up?!" Xize said. He did the bro handshake with all of them.

I went and hug Yue. "Yue! I'm so glad you made it!" She chuckled.

"Told you I wouldn't miss it." She said.

I turned to Dylan and did the handshake he taught me.

"Hey Dy! Long time no see. How are you?"

"Hi Jiaqi. I'm good. It's good to see you again. Anyway meet one of my best friends, this is Li Xize, Xize this is Jiaqi." He gestured towards the guy beside him.

I shook his hands. "Hello. Do I call you Xize as well?" I asked him. He laughed.

"Call me lil Xize." He clarified. I laughed and nodded.

I went and sat beside Yue since Dylan went with both Xizes to order drinks from the bar.

"So you went with Xize on the way here?" Yue asked teasingly.

I blushed hard. "Well he kind of picked me up from my apartment. Speaking of that, why did you tell him my exact address?" I interrogated her.

"Well he said he just wanted to check out the surroundings. You know how he is, he really cares about us and can be a little protective. He told me he was going to pick you up on the way, that's why I sent him your address when he asked about it." She explained.

"He seemed a bit weird today." I confessed finally voicing out my thoughts.

"What do you mean today? Like on the photoshoot and when he picked you up? Maybe he's just a bit shy since you haven't seen each other for awhile." She told me.

Our conversation were interrupted when the boys went back with our drinks. They ordered cocktails for Yue and I. We can do hard drinks, but the hangover isn't worth it considering we'll be both busy tomorrow.

"Babe we'll just be playing billiards for awhile. Wanna join us?" Dylan asked Yue.

"We'll join you later. Go ahead, I want to have a girl talk with Jiaqi." She said. Dylan placed a kiss on her cheek.

I looked away for a moment to give them privacy and end up meeting Big Xize's eyes. They were staring at me as if he was searching something from my face.

I raised my eyebrows at him, silently asking him if I have something on my face. He just smirked. Then mouthed, 'you look beautiful' to me. I just made a funny face to dissipate the feeling of awkwardness around the both of us. He just laughed.

The boys went to the billiards area to play. Yue turned to me resuming our previous conversation.

"So Xize's been weird how?" She asked me again.

"Actually we had lunch together after you left. We chatted for awhile. Well he kind of flirted with me a bit? I don't know." I told her what happened with the waitress during lunch, about him coming to my apartment and the incident with the seatbelt inside the car. She listened attentively to all of it.

"I think I'm just overthinking about it. Maybe it doesn't mean much. I have a lot of male friends and sometimes they act the same. But not to this extent. I don't know Yue, I'm confused." I sipped my drink trying to clear out my head once again.

She looked at me and smiled knowingly. "You really like him don't you?" She suddenly asked, I choked at my drink.

"Yue!"

"Admit it Jiaqi, you liked him ever since we were filming MG. You have to admit it to yourself or you'll end up being just as confuse as I am before. Remember how I tried so hard to deny my feelings for Dy?" She reminded me.

She really fought her feelings for Dylan. She frequently called me crying about how she was so confused about everything, how she was afraid of losing him as her buddy. How he only treats her as a buddy which was enough for her. And then the two of them erupted and ended up confessing about their feelings during the last filming days in London. Here they are now.

"I can't do that Yue. He and I's relationship are different from yours and Dylan's. You were buddies, we're like siblings, brothers in fact. He doesn't see me as a woman Yue. I'm like one of the boys."

"Yet you saying you can't do that already means that you actually have feelings for him. How is that any different? I am also one of the boys Jiaqi, both of us. Look at Dy and I. We're still buddies but we're also a couple. What's wrong with that? Relationship usually starts from friendship, and if you're really close at the beginning, trust me it makes the leap to the next level worth it." She explained basing it from her experience.

"You see Yue, Dylan is already smitten with you even before that. That's why you were able to move past the frienship level. Xize doesn't like me that way. He's like that to all the girls he's close with because that's his nature." I explained our situation.

"Then why did he told you that you look beautiful ahwile ago? I actually saw that Jiaqi." She dared me to justify that.

"He tells you that you look great too all the time Yue. That's his way of showing us that he appreciates us. That's the way he is. And me looking for meaning anything beyond that is foolish." I told her.

"Well you have a point there. What do you want to do then?"

"Well, I guess I just have to ignore whatever this is. Since it doesn't really mean anything. Maybe I was just not used to it since like you said, we haven't really hang out for awhile." I decided.

"But Jiaqi, in order to really move on from any of that you really have to admit it to yourself first." She encouraged me.

"I know Yue. I guess me denying it just leaves me puzzled all the time. But I won't act on it ever."


	5. Drunken Incident

"Whatever you decide, I'm right here Jiaqi. I'll support you the way you supported me when i was having a hard time with Dylan."

"Thanks Yue. I mean after what happened with the way my ex cheated on me because of our long distance relationship, I can't imagine being in that kind of relationship again." I explained my hesitation.

She grabbed my hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"I understand Jiaqi. Just take your time. You're the only one who gets to decide when you're finally ready to love again. You don't have to rush at all." She said comfortingly.

"Thanks Yue! Now come on. You already wasted a lot of your date with Dylan with me." I pulled her towards where the boys were playing.

"This is also our girl time. I often see Dylan whenever we're free. But I rarely see you these days." She said to me.

"I know. Next time we're both in Beijing let's have some girl bonding okay?" I held my pinky finger for a promise.

She tangled her pinky finger with mine. "Deal!"

I let her hang out with Dylan then. He was teaching her how to play pool. They really look great together.

"So are you enjoying the night?" Big Xize suddenly asked me. He was holding a glass of scotch, I don't know how many glasses he had but he's a bit drunk.

"I am. I'm glad I came." I smiled really happy that I get to bond with them once more.

"I think we should do this as often as we could. We could also help those two date under the wraps." He said gesturing at Dylan and Yue fooling around on the pool table. She playfully hit him everytime he kisses her at her every attempt to play.

"I know. I feel sorry that they can't be with each other openly, and can't even date always. That kind of relationship takes serious effort. But I'm happy for them." I told him.

"Are we still talking about them?" He asked. Teasing me. I elbowed his arm. He, Dylan and Yue were the only ones who know about my ex. I spilled the beans one night when we were having a late night drink in Dylan's hotel room.

"Can we not talk about that? Aren't we here to have fun?" I begged him.

He nodded. "Come on, let's go downstairs and dance." He grabbed my hand along the way. Dylan and Yue followed. Lil Xize didn't tag along since he was cozying up with one of the girls he had met.

The music was still blasting with EDMs and alternates with hiphop music. We don't worry about Dy or Yue being caught here since it was mostly dark and there were a lot of people around.

We danced to the music. Since I have a slight buzz from the cocktails I drank earlier, I was able to let myself loose this time. Xize and I were just dancing to the rhythm. There was a moment he placed his hands around my waist, and I felt the shot of electricity from it. He was already drunk due to the hard drinks he and the others were drinking before we even came down here.

My body was moving faster than my mind that I ended up lacing my arms around his neck, loving the way it felt. He leaned his forehead against mine while we kept on dancing. It was getting intense, and we're both swept up by the beat of the music. Our ragged breaths were mingling due to our closeness.

I closed my eyes briefly to try to clear out the buzz I was feeling. By the time I opened them once again, I was attacked with the feeling of his lips smashing against my own. The logical thing, the sober Jiaqi will pull away, but I ended up responding to him readily. I moved my lips in sync with him.

I tasted the hint of scotch and smoke as he explored my mouth. Overwhelmed by the onslaught of his kiss, I felt my knees buckle but his arms just tightened around me.

We were trapped on our own bubble when a guy bumped us, clearing away the lingering effects of alcohol on our minds. Our eyes widened at the realization of our predicament. We were looking at each other, shocked evident on our eyes. I pulled away immediately and he placed one of his hands on his nape, his drunken state momentarily forgotten.

"Jiaqi, I'm sorry. I..." I saw the regret in his eyes. He was just so into the moment that he ended up kissing me. Rather than waiting for him to finish his sentence, I turned and ran back upstairs to quickly grab my things.

Yue and Dylan were back on the VIP section snuggling with each other on the couch. They sat up quickly when they saw my state.

"Jiaqi, are you okay?" She asked, wondering why I was in a rush.

"Yue, I'll call you okay? Bye." I hugged both of them quickly and ran back downstairs.

Xize was at the bottom of it. When I reached the last step, I tried to walk past him but he grabbed my arm.

"Jiaqi, can we talk about this for a minute?" He begged me.

"There's nothing to talk about Xize. I knew you regretted it. So let's just forget about it. We're brothers remember?" I pulled my arm from his grasp and ran outside the bar.

I could still hear him calling my name, running after me. I quickly got inside one of the taxis and went home.

Once I was back, I turned off my phone and dive towards my bed. I didn't even bother to change, I was overwhelmed by my emotions that I ended up crying.

This wasn't how the night was supposed to end. I was supposed to enjoy having drinks with them, catching up and fooling around. Then Xize will bring me back home and say goodbye like the brother that he is. We were friends. He needs to be my friend, because I can't let myself think of him as more than that.

I fell asleep still reeling from what happened. I was slightly intoxicated but I was still aware of everything that happened.

When I woke up, I was bombarded with the thoughts that happened last night. A knock sounded from my bedroom door, my manager popped her head in.

"Jiaqi! You weren't answering your phone last night. Shen Yue left me a couple of voice mails asking where you were. I came here as soon as I heard her messages. Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yes Jie. I wasn't feeling well last night that's why I went home ahead of them." I told her.

"Okay, text her. She was really worried. By the way, our flight to Shanghai for your photoshoot is at 5pm. Be ready okay?"

"I will jie. Thank you." I said to her.

Once she closed the door I ended up lying back down. After all that has happened yesterday, one thing has to be made clear.

Wu Xize is my big brother. Those are the words I will keep telling myself. Over and over again. Until I believe it, until my heart agrees with it.

I finally turned on my phone and the message notifications kept on coming. I opened Yue's first.

 ** _Jiaqi! Where the hell are you? Xize told me what happened. That idiot!_**

 ** _Jiaqi are you home? Please tell me your home._**

 ** _Hey! Are you okay? Please reply Jiaqi. I'm here for you._**

Then I listened to her voice mail ** _._**

 ** _"Jiaqi, listen I don't want to push you or anything. But please listen to Xize's explanation okay? I'm here for you. Call me if you need someone to talk okay? Are you okay? Please just reply with a YES if you're okay."_**

 ** _"Jiaqi I mean it. Call me ANYTIME! EVEN IF I'M SLEEPING!"_**

Then I read Dylan's text.

 ** _Jiaqi, you alright? Don't worry I already smacked Xize's head. Can you please reply on Yue's messages? She's losing it right now._**

Then I finally read his text. ****

 ** _Jiaqi, are you home? Where are you? I'M SORRY. PLEASE._**

 ** _Jiaqi, can we talk, please? Let me explain._**

 ** _I don't want to explain through text. So can we meet?_**

 ** _Jiaqi, can you at least let me talk to you on the phone?_**

 ** _If you don't answer my text I'm coming to your apartment._**

I sighed. What a mess I am in.


	6. Teacher Yue

I first texted Yue.

 _ **Yes, I'll call you back. Give me a minute. Sorry Yue.**_

Then I texted Dylan.

 _ **Thanks Dy. Sorry, I'm calling her right now.**_

Then lastly I texted him.

 _ **Don't come here please. If you do, I won't ever talk to you again. I mean it. Just, please give me some time.**_

He replied immediately as if he was checking his phone this whole time.

 _ **Okay, I understand. I'll give you time. But I will talk to you Jiaqi. One way or another. I won't take no for an answer.**_

I didn't reply. I finally decided to call Yue.

She picked up after just 2 rings.

"LI JIAQI WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?! I WAS SO WORRIED. YOU COULD'VE TEXTED ME BUT YOU DECIDED TO TURN OFF YOUR PHONE. HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?! AM I NOT YOUR FRIEND ANYMORE HUH?!"

I heard Dylan calming her down in the background.

"Babe take it easy will you?" I heard her let out an exhale, then a sound of a door closing.

"Yue, I know I'm sorry! I was so confused and embarassed yesterday. I didn't know how to face you guys or even talk to you."

"Just tell me this, are you okay?"

"Kinda." I replied.

"What the fa?! What do you mean kinda? Are you hurt anywhere? I swear to god I will knock the hell out of Xize."

"Calm down Yue! I'm okay. Physically. But mentally and emotionally, I don't think I am." I sighed.

"Wanna talk about it?" She asked.

I told her the exact thing that happened last night. As detailed as my foggy memory can remember.

"Well that was a disaster. After deciding you would just ignore your feelings. He ended up kissing you, drunk on top of that if I may add."

"Thanks for the information Ms. Obvious. It was enough that he kissed me but the idiotic person that I am kissed him back. My brain shut down last night Yue. It failed me."

"Trust me I know the feeling. My brain puffs into thin air when it comes to Dylan. What do you plan on doing now?"

"Nothing Yue. He left some messages telling me that he wanted to explain in person. I texted him that I needed some space." I told her.

"Jiaqi, you won't figure out his reasons if you won't listen to him." She chastised me.

"I know. But I can't bear to face him right now. His was a drunken mistake, mine was a conscious one. I was aware of it Yue. But I still returned the kiss instead of pulling away. I'm scared to hear his reasons. I'm scared that after this we'll have nothing left. Friends don't kiss each other. Friends mess or flirt with each other but they never ever make out." I tried to explain.

"Tsk. Some guy friend you have then." She replied sarcastically making light of the situation.

"Yue!"

"Sorry! Well you see, I already know the reason but I won't tell you. It's Xize's explanation to make. But I will also respect your decision of needing some space. But Jiaqi, it's better to know the truth than imprison yourself with the endless what ifs. Only you and Xize can clear out whatever questions you both may have."

"Thank you Yue! For being there. I'm just scared of getting hurt again. I can't return to the way I was before. Weak and broken." I told her.

"It's normal to be afraid of getting hurt. Especially if you've been badly hurt before. But you aren't the same Jiaqi you were before. You won't be this woman who is strong, loving, trusting and loyal if you were not able to get pass that pain. Pain didn't make you weak Jiaqi. It taught you to stand up despite falling a couple of times. And it made you stronger everytime." She encouraged me. I sniffed, overwhelmed by her words.

"Thank you for seeing me that way Yue. You're right, I'm stronger now. You really have a way with words." I told her chuckling through my tears.

"I know I'm right. So take your time, and build yourself up. And once you're ready, face him with your head held high. It doesn' t matter whether the truth will be painful or not. It doesn't matter whether he chooses to leave, or chooses to stay as a friend or more than that. What matters is that you're able to move on afterwards. Because you deserve that Jiaqi. You deserve to be happy." She added.

"Gosh Teacher Yue. So many words of wisdom. I am deeply enlightened. But seriously, thank you. Your words mean a lot to me. Love you girl!"

"Love you too! And call me when you're back! You have a girl time to make up for young lady. Bye!"

"I will. Bye! Don't have too much fun with Dylan!" I teased her knowing she ended up staying in his apartment instead of leaving early last night. She probably went back after her early meeting.

"Can't hear you. Bye!"

Followed by Dylan's voice, "I heard that!" I laughed then hang up.

I got ready for my flight this afternoon. The burden on my thoughts were lifted by Yue's words to me on the phone. She's right, I was able to get back myself together before. I'm a stronger Jiaqi now. I just need some time to process everything. And whatever happens, whether Xize still wants to be my friend or not, I will be okay. Because I'm Li Jiaqi ver. 2.0, I'm stronger and beautiful. I deserve to be happy.

My manager and I settled on our hotel rooms once we arrived in Shanghai. The photoshoot is scheduled tomorrow morning so we still have time to rest.

I was relaxing on the bed just watching some movies when my manager came to my room.

"Jiaqi, Harper's Bazaar contacted us. You and Xize are scheduled to attend the Cigalong jewelry event next week." I felt the blood drain from my face. Me and Xize in one event, and we'll be attending together since we both signed contracts with the company.

"When is it scheduled exactly?" I clarified.

"On Tuesday." Great. Today's Wednesday. 6 days. Only 6 days before I meet him face to face once again. So much for being strong Jiaqi. Jiaqi 2.0? More like 0.5.

Hello brain, you there? Sorry. Brain is not available right now. Why? Brain is dead.

I managed to finish my photoshoot smoothly. I had an interview afterwards but it went by quickly so I didn't really notice the time.

I checked my phone for some messages or updates once I get back on our hotel. There were 2 messages. Both from Xize. I guess he was also briefed with regards to the event.

I opened his first message.

 _ **See you on Tuesday. I guess that's my chance to finally explain. I hope by then you finally had enough of the time you asked from me. Now, I'm asking you to give your time to me.**_

Then the second message

 _ **I'm sorry. I miss you. See you soon.**_

This. This is the reason I have been so confused. His messages before were filled with funny memes and 'lil bro' as his endearment for me. Now it's all gone because the moment our lips met, we had bypassed all of that.

What's left is the question of whether our friendship is over. His messages now and his actions before, were filled with sweetness that what I see is far from a brother's treatment. But who knows right?

I had these questions but I was the one who asked for space. So I had to wait because I was also afraid. But I had to face it head on just like Yue said. Because I deserve the truth, just as Xize does.

Every single day like a countdown to the day we get to meet again in person, I received messages from Xize.

On Friday it read:

 _ **Hey beautiful. I'm sorry.**_

On Saturday the message was,

 _ **Smile. Even if you're sad. Please smile. Again I'm sorry.**_

On Sunday it was like a drunk text,

 _ **IM SLKEORJRY I LEONVE UYAMODU**_

Today it read,

 _ **Can't wait to see you. I'm sorry. I miss you.**_

I missed him too. So much. But everything went from simple to complicated in just a short span of time.

Tomorrow is Tuesday, for others it's simply the Cigalong Event. For Xize and I, it was the trial for the final judgement of our relationship.

Questions just kept piling up inside my head. Because I badly wanted to give meaning on his messages. But I had to warn my heart not to believe anything, other than it being a couple of friendly messages. At least it gives me comfort that he somehow still thinks of me as his friend. Otherwise he wouldn't take the time to message me right? Again. Another one of my questions.


	7. D-Day

D-day. Cigalong event, the day of answers. I slept uneasily the whole night. I kept twisting and turning around my bed. I picked up my phone to check the time, 8am. There was another message from him.

 _ **See you later. Please hear me out. I will explain everything.**_

I rubbed my hands on my face. Nervous about this whole thing. But I reached the point of exhaustion from all the questions. Now I wanted some answers. Why did he kept saying sorry this whole week? Are we still friends? What now?

For fuck sake Jiaqi. Woman up. We can do this. Jiayou!

We were told to go to the event on the same car since we'll be appearing at the red carpet together. We went down immediately once Xize's manager texted that they arrived. My heart was beating so fast but I still forced my legs to walk.

The door of the van opened, Xize went out to meet me. He looked at me testing to see if it was okay to approach me. I guess my expression was agreeable enough since he walked towards me. I felt his stare washing all over me.

"Hey Jiaqi. You ready?" He said and smiled.

"Hi." I smiled tightly. I was about to walk towards the van when he grabbed my hand and wound it on his.

"You're wearing heels. Let me help you." He said. I smiled at him genuinely this time.

"Thank Xize." This is the big brother I know.

We appeared together at the red carpet and answered some of the hosts questions. We were then led to the main hall where we were seated beside each other.

We chatted for a few times mostly how are yous then talked with the other guests. It's like we're walking on thin glass, trying hard not to break the fragile atmosphere we were trapped in.

When the event finally ended I didn't what Xize's plan was, both of us were tipsy from the glasses of wine we drank awhile ago. And I need the alcohol to properly face him. We were on our way outside, my courage was waning and I wanted to run away. But he grabbed my hands and pulled me quickly onto another hallway.

"Xize, can you slow down for a bit? My feet hurts." I complained. He bent down and carried me like a kid.

"Put me down Xize! Why are you in such a hurry? Someone might see us." I ordered him.

"I've waited long enough for this long overdue explanation. I can't wait any minute longer. No one can see us since this is the employee's area. They're all out there busy with the event." he said still walking.

He entered what seemed to be a stock room and locked the door once he placed me down.

I was so nervous that I felt like my heart was about to explode. He suddenly turned to me and looked at me intensely. He stepped forward, I step back. It was a small room so I was cornered easily on one of the walls.

"Xize, what are you doing? I thought we're talking?"

By this time he had me trap in between his arms. He was leaning forward now. I pushed his chest but he wouldn't budge. I was holding my breath, scared by his actions.

He planted a kiss on my forehead and that's when I exhaled. He leaned his forehead against mine once again.

"You were planning to run away weren't you?" He asked.

I gasped. "I was not." I denied. He place one of his hands on my arm drawing circles with his finger.

"You were running away." He said with finality.

"Yes." I finally admitted.

"Why?" He moved away a bit just to get a clearer look at me. His other hand still resting on the wall near the side of head.

I looked down. "I was afraid." I murmured.

"Look at me Jiaqi." He ordered. I hesitated.

"Look at me." He said once again. I finally raised my head and met his eyes. Xize is gentle, but I never knew he could be so demanding like this.

"What are you afraid of?" He asked me staring intently at my eyes.

I looked down again but this time he caught my chin and made me look back at him.

"Of your answer Xize. I was afraid of your reasons." I admitted.

"Damn it Jiaqi! Is that why you wouldn't let me explain? Why you wouldn't give me the time of the day?" His eyes now filled with disbelief.

I looked away. He finally let go of me, only to pull his hair with his hand out of frustration while pacing around.

"Tell me, why were you afraid of hearing my answers?" He finally asked me after a few minutes of silence. Tears were threatening to fall from my eyes.

"I was afraid of losing you! Of losing our friendship! I was afraid you would tell me that you no longer wanted to be my friend after that. I saw your eyes Xize, you regretted the kiss. You regretted kissing your friend who you treat as your sibling." I finally burst out crying.

He didn't give me anytime to breathe. Suddenly I was pushed back on the wall, his lips ravaging mine. It was so different from the first kiss we shared. He held both of my face and kissed me as if he's pouring out all of his emotions on me. My knees buckled once more from the intensity. He snaked his arm around my waist as my support. When we're finally out of breath, our lips separated but we stayed on the same position.

"Now tell me Jiaqi, do friends kiss their friends that way?" I steadied my breath and looked at him.

"No. But don't you dare say you didn't regret it. I saw it in your eyes. You did it because you were drunk." I told him.

"I wasn't that drunk. I was completely aware of what I was doing. I regretted it. Not because of me realizing my mistake of kissing my friend. But because I wanted to call you mine first before I did any of that." He finally admitted.

"What?" I stepped away from him and turned my back on him.

"So you're saying you like me? I thought I was like your brother? You even called me a lil brother." I added.

"But I didn't see you as one of my friends. I felt more than a guy friend felt for a girl. But I had to make you comfortable with me." He explained.

"Then why did you treat me that way?" I was frustrated by his reasons.

"Because I wanted to earn your trust first. You were terribly hurt by your ex, Jiaqi. We saw a glimpse of your pain when you told us about it. I didn't want to rush you, I wanted to be your friend first before anything else." He confessed.

"But you see, it ended up confusing me even more Xize. Sometimes I had to decode your actions. I wasn't sure if it was for a friend but sometimes it seemed special. I always ignored that fact because I thought we were just friends, and you weren't going to treat me beyond that." I was going all out with my bottled up feelings.

"Why is this an issue anyway Jiaqi? I just told you. I LIKE YOU. I'M FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU." He moved towards me and looked at me, searching my eyes for something.

I stayed silent. Still processing what he said. So he fell for me? I was bottling my feelings all this time when he actually likes me.

"Tell me, Jiaqi. Were you just running away because you were afraid of my reasons or were you afraid that I was actually falling in love with you? Tell me honestly." My breath hitched at that. I looked back at him.

"I was really transparent with my feelings. I complimented you, made you feel special, always asked about your wellbeing. I knew you noticed it. But you kept justifying it, because you're actually afraid to admit that you have feelings for me too." He finally said it, his breathing labored. The words I locked up on my heart. He went and opened the pandora's box. My pandora's box.

I stepped away from him. This feelings were overwhelming me. They were supposed to be locked up but he just opened it without any effort. I can't even find the key to it.

I moved towards the door to escape and was about to open it when he hugged me from the back. He trapped me with his body on the door.

"Xize, let me go. I can't do this. Please." I begged him.

"No. I'm not letting you go. Not now, not ever. Admit it Jiaqi, don't hide behind your shell anymore. Please. I'm here, will you let me in? Can you give me a chance to also protect your heart this time, instead of you doing it all alone?" He said voice filled with unrestrained love.

I cried. I cried out my fears away. He turned me to him and embraced me tightly. I really wanted to let him in. I'm tired of being afraid of someone loving me then hurting me again. I'm tired of living in the shadows of my shell.


	8. Step Forward

I remembered what Yue said to me. I had to move forward no matter what the outcome of my conversation with Xize will be. And this is the outome. Him falling in love with me and me falling for him. I had to make a step forward.

I felt him rub my back soothingly. Then slowly I gazed up at him. Then kissed his cheek, finally calming down.

"Thank you Xize." I smiled at him.

He smiled at me adoringly.

"So are you willing to let me in this time? I won't promise you that I won't hurt you. At some point in time I may hurt you knowingly or unknowingly. But this I can promise you, I will do my best to love you. And even if we're both hurting, I will still love you because now we're both protecting each other's hearts." He assured me.

I nodded. "Yes Xize. I'm willing to let you in. I'm willing to let you love me. And I'm allowing myself to love again, to love you as much as I can. I'm choosing you as the person who can hurt me, because I know you will love me just as much." The feelings were pouring out steadily from my heart.

He kissed me one more time, a deep searing kiss. Yet one filled with an unspeakable promise.

"Can we get out of here now? I mean I love that we're together. But kidding aside, it's actually getting hot in here." I said to him.

"Just one more thing." He said.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Will you be my girlfriend? Like literal girlfriend not girl plus friend. Just wanted to make sure." He smiled at me.

I laughed. "Yes Xize. I will be your girlfriend. Actually we can both be brothers and a couple. Nothing changes, just much sweeter and cringy." I smiled back.

We finally went out of the stock room and ran towards his BMW in the parking lot. We laughed at our antics, I was barefooted and he took off his coat along the way because it got too hot. We already messaged our managers to go home ahead of us.

"Well that went well." Xize said once we were inside his car.

He placed my seatbelt for me once again. Then started the car.

"Why do you do that?" I asked him as we pulled out from the parking lot.

"Do what?" He asked, wondering what it was about.

"Put my seatbelt on for me. I told you I'm not a kid." I said to him.

He smiled and glanced sideways at me briefly.

"Because in case you haven't notice, I actually love taking care of you." He finally said.

I grinned and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed.

"Ohh, my boyfriend's getting shy now. So before when you took care of me and Yue it's already because I'm special? You don't do that to any other girls?" I asked him.

"Stop it. I'm just so happy we finally get past the tension that constantly surrounded us. And yeah you're both special to me. Yue is special because Dylan loves her and he's one of my brothers. You are special because I already have my eyes on you. Have you seen me giving extra care to the other girls? Was I protective over them? I respect them and always try to help because that's the way I was brought up. But with you, it's always special." He admitted.

"So I get the Xize special even before?" I teased him.

He chuckled. "You could say that."

I kissed his cheeks once again.

"Do I get this kisses everytime I do something special for you?" He asked voice filled with excitement.

"You could say that." I said his words back to him and we laughed.

We were now in the parking lot of my apartment. He held my hand as we ride the elevator, chuckling once again on the elevator music.

"One day I'll be asking the supervisor of your building to play some hiphop music instead. That'll be an ice breaker for the awkward ride." He laughed.

"Please. I would love that." I told him.

When we arrived at my door I turned to him.

"Want to come inside and have some coffee first? I have a few snacks I wanted you to try." I told him.

This time he agreed with my offer.

"Why did you hesitate to go inside before?" I asked him, curious about his previous action.

"Because it's inappropriate. We're friends that time and you were alone in your apartment." He explained.

"What about now?"

"Now you're my girlfriend. I have more reason to visit you and come over once in a while." He said while smiling proudly.

"Always the gentleman." I told him.

I brought out some assorted mochi that my friend sent me as a gift after visiting Japan. We sat down on the living room and watched some action suspense movies. We kept feeding each other mochis and spouting reviews as if we were food critics.

"Hey Jiaqi, are you free tomorrow?" Xize suddenly asked.

"I have a brief meeting with my agent tomorrow. But I'm free in the afternoon. Why?"

"I actually reserved a table for us at HuoShaoYun. Figured I could take you there for our first date, since it was because of the bet we made that brought us closer." He said looking down embarassedly.

"So you actually made a reservation even before you get the chance to ask me to be your girlfriend?" I was surprised. He was confident about my decision.

"Yeah. I made it a week ago." He admitted.

"But what if I said no?" I dared him.

"I would have rescheduled it over and over again until the moment you said yes. Told you I'm not letting you go. I already devised a plan for you to be mine if you didn't agree."

I gasped. Surprise by his persistence.

"Wow Xize, you're impossible."

"No love, I'm a man who's head over heels over a cute, lovely girl. Once I fall for you, I will really go all out just to woo you. I won't take no for an answer." He added.

"Why do you like me anyway?" I asked still wondering about his feelings for me.

"There are a lot of things. One, you're fun to be with. You love exploring the world around you, you don't want to stay in one place. You like to keep moving, keep discovering. I love seeing the places you've visited through your memories. It makes me feel like I've been there with you. "

"And everytime you learn something, there's this radiance around you. You know how to be happy, even food makes you happy. Damn that actually made me fall for you even harder. And when you laugh, it makes me wish I was the one who caused it. That's why I joke around you everytime. Your cute antics makes me want to keep you away from the other guys. It awakens my protective instinct, that's why I love taking care of you. And in those quirky moments, I ended up falling further. I'm a goner." He said and placed a kiss on my nose.

I'm speechless. I didn't know he noticed so much about me. I was slackjawed from his confession.

"Close your adorable mouth love. Or I might kiss it." He warned me.

I closed my mouth right away. Still not ready for another onslaught of his addicting kiss.

"I- I never noticed it. All this time I thought it was a one-sided love I was feeling. That's why I tried so hard to fight it." I confessed to him.

"So you also liked me even before?" He asked eyes filled with wonder.

"Of course. You're a ladies man don't tell me you don't know that." He was about to protest but I shush him with my hand.

"Or so I thought at first. Eventually when Yue and I got to know you I discovered you were just naturally a caring person. You take care of everyone like a big brother. You comfort us and encouraged us during difficult times. You're really gentle you know, you make me feel safe and secure. That's why even though I was hesitant at first, I ended up leaning on to you all the time."

"On top of that you're so easygoing and funny. You don't know how many times your jokes made my day. You made me trust guys again after hating them for so long. I thought at first that maybe you were really just a brother to me. But I felt butterflies everytime you care for me. And I realize that I actually learned to fall in love again."

He looked at me as if I'm surreal.

"Xize! You okay?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Sorry. I was just committing that to my memory. No one's ever told me that before." He smiled.

I kissed him on his cheek.

"Well get used to it."


	9. Intoxication

"I'll always be telling you things like that. I love you Xize." I leaned forward and shyly pecked his lips.

"I love you too Jiaqi. More than you could ever imagine." And with that he gave me another searing kiss.

The day after, we had our first date in HuoShaoYun. We ordered the best seller off the menu.

We took pictures of the food and the both of us to remember our very first date.

"You know I actually am glad I kissed you even if I was drunk." Xize suddenly said.

"Why?"

"My idiotic self would've hesitated a few times. I would've ended up missing that rare chance."

"Well I wouldn't have it any other way. If I wasn't slightly drunk I would have never had the courage to kiss you back. I would have ran away right then and there."

"But you still ran away." He said.

"Yeah. But I already kissed you by then." I justified. We laughed and toast at that.

"Hey when you asked me about the food trip escapade, was that for a friendly date?" I asked suddenly remembering our deal.

"Nope. It was actually one of my plans to woo you. I lost contact with you after our promotions with MG. I didn't dare to call you because I might be interrupting your already busy schedule. So the moment I heard that we have a photoshoot together, I decided that it was my chance to finally confess my feelings to you."

"So the drunken kiss, is it part of that too?" I asked curious.

"It wasn't but it actually sped up my plan. And I ended up confessing to you on a small stock room, instead of one of the best restaurants in Shanghai." He said face laced with dissatisfaction.

"Well I don't care wherever it is. But that was the best confession a guy has ever given me. The place doesn't matter because your feelings completely reached me." I told him truthfully.

He grinned like a kid. "Well look at the brighter side. The food trip adventure can be a cover for our dates."

"That's really a great idea." I agreed.

"To love and delicious food!" He raise his glass for a toast.

"To love and delicious food!" I clinked my glass with him.

One week later Xize asked Dylan and Yue to hang out once again. This was the first time we were telling them about our relationship. I wanted to tell Yue personally, so I tried so hard to keep it a secret telling her I was so busy.

We were on the hotpot place where we usually have dinner before. Xize was able to reserve a private room.

By the time we arrived, Yue and Dylan were already inside. We stayed lowkey at first, not showing any affection in front of them.

"What's up?!" Xize greeted them with a handshake. I hugged Yue and also did a handshake with Dylan.

"What's up man? Are you two on good terms now?" Dylan asked Xize.

"We'll talk about that later. Come on let's eat! I'm starving." I told them. They already ordered the food.

We were in the middle of our meal when Yue looked at us expectantly.

"So what happened? Did you two made up?" She asked me then ate a spoonful of rice.

"More like kiss and make up." Xize muttered while placing his arm around my shoulder.

Yue coughed so hard, bits and pieces of rice sprayed from her mouth.

"Ay! Babe be careful. You always end up either spitting out your food or drink." Dylan tapped her back while grabbing a tissue to wipe her mouth. He handed her a glass of water afterwards.

"Took you long enough. I thought I would need to lock you in a room. Just so the both of you can confess with each other." Dylan said smirking, planning to use Ximen and Meizuo's tactics in MG.

Xize and I look at each other and chuckled. If Dylan only knew. He was completely accurate.

Yue finally recovered from her little mishap.

"So you guys are like together, together now?" she clarified.

"Yes Yue. Xize and I are together." I assured her.

"Since when?" She further inquired.

"Well since last week actually."

I saw her eyes blaze with anger. Uh oh. There goes the surprise.

"LI JIAQI WHY DID I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS?!" Yue said, Dylan immediately locked his arm around her shoulders, then fed her some veggies. She chewed immediately.

"There there." He said while patting her head.

I smiled guiltily. "Sorry! I wanted to tell you about it in person. So I could also thank you for helping me out Yue. It was because of you that I got the courage to confess to him." I told her sincerely.

"Well for that you're completely forgiven. I'm so proud of you Jiaqi." She smiled fondly at me.

"Thanks Teacher Yue." I smiled back. Xize was looking at the both of us.

"I really have to treat you and Dylan. You really helped us out." He smiled at them.

"Well you both were there for us too. You're like a voice of reason for the both of us." Dylan said.

"I have a confession to make Jiaqi." Yue suddenly said. She glanced at Xize who was threatening her with a look. Dylan was only amused by his reaction.

"What is it Yue?"

"Well Xize here actually asked me out to help him with you. It was during our shooting of MG. I was the one giving him all the information about you." She admitted her crime. My eyes widened at the revelation.

"Really? So you got close to me because he asked you?" I asked sounding hurt when I actually know the truth.

"No silly! I really wanted to be your friend. He was just so persistent that I ended up as a spy for him." She explained. Pointing to the perpetrator.

"I'm kidding Yue. I understand." I grinned at her.

"Oh and by the way Xize. I'm actually a double agent. I was also telling her information about you." She told Xize. I blushed so hard.

"Yue! I told you to keep it a secret!"

"Well I'm laying out all the cards since the both of you are together now."

I looked at Dylan, his face also mirroring Xize's face before.

"Ay Jiaqi! Don't you dare!" He threatened me.

"I'm also a double agent for the both of you." I smiled smugly.

Dylan was about to deny it but laughed so hard when he realized that Yue also asked so many questions about him. Yue was sporting a scarlet face this time. Dylan then kissed the top of her head.

"Aww babe, don't get shy now." He teased her.

"You promised to keep it a secret." She complained to me.

"Well you did it first anyway. Besides look who's happy now?"

"Touche." She replied.

The 4 of us laughed at our stupidity about our own feelings. But we all ended up together anyway.

We decided to toast to that.

"To our frienship and our love, may it last forever."

After our dinner, Xize and I were stargazing on the hilltop where the four of us decided to chill out. Dylan and Yue were inside the van probably enjoying their moment together, before they get busy once again.

Xize placed a lingering kiss on my lips. I kissed him back with the same intensity. Our lips making their own rhythms. It was a dance for domination.

"You know, I don't think I need alcohol just to get drunk." He said as we catch our breaths.

"Why?" I asked him.

"I'm already drunk because of your kisses." He told me.

"Well consider me highly intoxicated then." I smiled then kissed him again.

"We're a bunch of drunkards." He said.

"Correction, we're kissing drunkards." I muttered.

You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have some say on who hurts you. - The Fault in Our Stars

A/N: Hi loves!

So that's it for my first fanfic dedicated to XiJia. I enjoyed writing about them as much as I enjoyed writing about Diyue. I hope you had fun too, no matter how short it is.

Here's to more short stories and AU for these wonderful people.

Stay classy! Lots of love. ❤️

jclaire101 signing off... ? ﾟﾌﾻ?


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